The way to Roland Garros was rather bumpy in terms of sport, and the journey was not according to plan for Alexander Zverev. At his first press conference two days before the beginning of the French Open, Germany’s best tennis professional reported from a lightning strike on the flight from Hamburg to Paris followed by an emergency landing.
“It was pretty funny because there was only a small sound, no wobbling or something,” said Zverev.
Despite the recent setbacks and the short fright in the air, the 28-year-old was emphasized easily and confidently. “Roland Garros is a completely different tournament than everyone I played before,” said Zverev: “This is a Grand Slam, we play best-of-five. The physical aspect plays a much larger role here than with other events.”
The preparation – especially with the illness at his home tournament – was not optimal, Zverev admitted. But: “I am looking forward to the tournament, I look forward to another chance, especially after the Australian Open.” In Melbourne, Zverev lost his third Grand Slam final at the beginning of the season, and he is still chasing a title at one of the world’s four biggest tournaments worldwide.
In his first training on the facility on Bois de Boulogne on Friday, Zverev felt a bit “limp”, but he only intervenes on Tuesday. Then he plays against the US teenager Learner Tien. “The first matches are very important to me,” said Zverev, who had reached the final last year, but lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets at the time.
In preparation for the climax of the sandplace season, it was only enough in Munich to win a tournament, and in his dress rehearsal in Hamburg, Zverev lost weakened by a stomach infection in the round of 16.